Wild Nut Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 This is my custom-built barracks fully set-up and looking the best it has since I purchased it. It can house 10 bettas, but I have a little CT male bunking in the huge back area as well. I custom built the spraybar out of sprinkler parts and it seems to be working well at circulating water around and distributing heat. I’m going to be running a small sponge filter in each section to aid water movement and boost my biological filtration. Got a mixed bag of fish in there, from pet store VTs to imported pairs. Everyone seems to be settling in well, and aside from an initial bout of velvet, which I treated no problem, it is going smoothly. Each compartment holds 2.5 gallons of water, and I’m going to be taking out the anubias and java fern/amazon swords, and replacing them with pygmy chain sword, vallisneria, and hydrilla. CT male in the back section. Going to be spawning him hopefully with a blue HMPK female sometime this/next week. Want to create some blue marble CTPKs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 Very nice Ashley. Looks good. Good luck with you CTPK line. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted April 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 Haha thanks. I am committed now. I keep buying pairs under the pretense of breeding and then never do. Now I have an empty 3ft tank and some live foods, I have no reason not to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 CTPKs... that's a spawn I've been chasing foe a long time now without success. I'll be watching with great interest. Good luck Love your setup. I have something similar. How does the water get back into the back section in yours? I had to raise the back partition to allow a gap under each compartment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 It's a great looking setup - and the taller compartments look really smart. Each cell has a hole drilled in, around 50c piece size with a small grill over the top to stop the boys sneaking out the back into the sump... sump contains filtration and heater... very large area too. Ash I wondered if you didn't maybe look at using an internal biological filter, if it would work better? I'm not all that smrt with how filtration ACTUALLY works (i know what it dus) there seemed to be a good ammount of flow with the adjustable spraybar... very handy work. x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted April 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 Thanks Jarrod. My spraybar has drippers going into each section circulating water and I'm assuming pushing it back out through the hole. When I was treating for velvet the medication contained green/blue dye and all compartments seemed to be evenly coloured. Ness the internal filter I'm using has a big chunk of sponge to grow all my beneficial bacteria on (it was running in the goldfish tank for about two weeks to seed a bit), plus I'm adding some seeded media from my goldfish tank to help the cycle along. My ammonia is testing as 0 in several compartments and in the back area as I'm thinking my azolla and hydrilla have been consuming most of the ammonia. I am mainly using the sponge filters to further circulate the water in each compartment, and if any beneficial bacteria colonises on them (which it should) it's an added bonus. Also got one of your boys from Subscape yesterday Ness Here he is in all his awkward glory. I think my male Splotch is making him feel inadequate. That's actually one of your females in the adjoining compartment Jarrod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forever_and_a_day Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 very spiffy! any chance of a shot of the back compartment? and should you think about a lid to prevent jumping/evaporation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 oh you got the stonewash boy!! Awkward is the perfect description of him - don't blame him next to your rock star HM's!! looking good Ash! x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted April 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 very spiffy! any chance of a shot of the back compartment? and should you think about a lid to prevent jumping/evaporation? Evaporation is my main concern, but so far I don't seem to be losing that much water from the system. My splendens have never been big jumpers, and I have left the water level fairly low to put any ideas of 'flying' out of their heads. I will try and get some photos of the whole back compartment, but here's some more detailed shots of the power filter and spray bar oh you got the stonewash boy!! Awkward is the perfect description of him - don't blame him next to your rock star HM's!! looking good Ash! x Haha his name is now Urkel in honour of his gawkiness. I shall fed him and love him and he shall be a champion. You'll see. I read the Ugly Duckling and look how that turned out *lol* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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